June 30, 2008

before it becomes a distant memory, thought i would post photos of jon teaching away in maine. we spent ten days in the village of castine at the maine maritime academy. each year the international guild of miniature artisans (igma) hosts a week long event called the guild school. people fly from all over the world to learn a new skill from a recognized artist. for the past several years the school has not offered miniature pottery, then the director invited jon to teach......and of course we said yes! it was a wonderful experience for both of us. jon is a natural. he explained things clearly. he helped everyone individually when they needed it. he was so proud of their quick progress and growth. he loved to tell them how very proud he was. and of course he made them laugh, a lot! he surprised everyone with a gorgeous full color photography instructional book, three bisque pots to glaze on the first day of class and a custom name tag for each student. it was a ton of work, but so rewarding. we can't wait to return next year.

wednesday is always free night at the guild school. this year a local kayak company took a bunch of us out for an amazingly beautiful sunset paddle.

May 05, 2008

traveled south this weekend to lovely portland for the NAME (national
association of miniature enthusiasts) convention. that's a mouthful. a first time workshop teaching experience for jon. he taught an awesome hands-on raku firing workshop to 22 eager students, friends, fans and enthusiasts, of course!

we started out the workshop with a big screen movie. jon super-sized on the wall, throwing his pots in slow, fast and regular motion. it was the perfect, he explained the delicate process and steps involved as it played. jon has always been very comfortable with the ladies, which came in handy since 21 out of 22 were. each student was given a collection of five hand thrown miniature bisque pots. he showed the group how to glaze and had supplies set out on tables. everyone was eager to start and dove right in. since i was the official gofer i missed this part as i ran off to buy a fire extinguisher. when i arrived back it was time to FIRE AWAY! we had the perfect room at the red lion on the river in portland. the doors opened out onto a patio overlooking the water. jon helped each student fire their pieces in a gas kiln. he pulled most of the red hot pieces out of the kiln for them. a few did it on their own. he blew lots of hot air to get the newspaper and pots burning. never realized how close he gets his cute face to the flames. thinking bellows would be a good purchase. after the pots cooled, each person reached into their cans and searched for their new special treasures. this was the best part. loved the reactions as the pots were pulled from the burned newspaper scraps. lots of ooohs and aaahs. lots of smiles and "oh, it's so pretty!" and "i can't believe i made this!" lots of "when can i do this again, seriously when will you teach another workshop?!?!"

April 03, 2008

jon has been in the studio creating lovely little pots all week. when i kiss him goodnight he is blasting his tunes, focused on the wheel. in the morning i spot dried clay in his hair. arriving home tonight i saw him glowing, bright orange, a raku magician. he will most likely be working until dawn, this is how it goes. getting ready to go to the BIG international miniature show in chicago. he is something. visit Almeda Pottery to see more.

November 23, 2007

Happy Birthday to my special one! My husband Jon Almeda is 31 years old today. I am so lucky to have Jon as my best friend and companion. He is a true renaissance man full of artistic talent. Jon is my wedding wingman, he is my secret photo weapon and is the creative viewpoint master. In addition to helping me with One Love Photo Jon also runs his own pottery business Almeda Pottery. Jon is famous for his amazing miniature pottery creations. With his pottery we have been able to travel all over the US and Europe selling at different shows. In between helping me and creating pottery, Jon’s true love is his guitar and playing music. Jon is an amazing musician! I feel lucky to have such lovely music in our home every night. Jon-Thank You for everything you do for me! I hope all your dreams come true this year!